CBS Reporter Lara Logan Assaulted In Cairo

A CBS News reporter who was sexually assaulted and beaten by an Egyptian mob last week is recovering in a U.S. hospital.

Veteran war correspondent Lara Logan was attacked as she attempted to cover the events in Tahrir Square in the wake of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak ceding his office after weeks of protests by hundreds of thousands of his countrymen.

Logan and her crew “were surrounded by a dangerous element amidst the celebration,” according to a CBS statement. The attack came as about 200 people were “whipped into a frenzy” and pulled Logan away from her colleagues. She was assaulted and beaten until a group of women and about 20 Egyptian soldiers stopped it.

Logan was flown back to the United States the following morning.

During her time in Egypt, Logan has been outspoken in alleging that Mubarak’s regime was active in trying to intimidate and harass foreign journalists. Logan was detained earlier this month and accused of being an Israeli spy. She was told to leave Egypt – which she did – but returned just prior to the end of Mubarak’s presidency.

The Committee to Protect Foreign Journalists – a watchdog group in which Logan serves on the governing board – contends 140 correspondents have been injured or killed while covering the events in Egypt since the end of January.